Latest news with #SteveHolland
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump tells Reuters it's unclear if Iran still has a nuclear program
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump told Reuters in a phone interview on Friday that it was unclear if Iran still has a nuclear program following Israeli strikes on the country. Trump told Reuters the U.S. still has nuclear talks planned with Iran on Sunday but that he is not sure if they will still take place. He said it was not too late for Iran to make a deal. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet an Iranian delegation in Oman on Sunday, but the Israeli attacks have raised doubts on whether the session will still take place. Trump said he was fully aware of Israel's plans for the attack. "We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out. They can still work out a deal however, it's not too late," he said. He said he is not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel's strikes.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration seeks to distance US from Israeli strikes on Iran
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration sought to distance the United States on Thursday from Israel's strikes on Iran, attacks that are likely to complicate Trump's drive for a nuclear deal with Tehran. Israel said it had struck Iranian nuclear targets to block Tehran from developing atomic weapons, even as the Trump administration was preparing to hold a sixth round of talks on Sunday on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment program. Marco Rubio, Trump's secretary of state and national security adviser, stressed that Israel's strikes were unilateral, while saying the U.S. had known attacks would occur. "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement. "Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense." Just hours before the strikes, Trump had urged a diplomatic solution to the tensions, while saying a strike on Iran "could very well happen." Iran says its nuclear energy program is only for peaceful purposes, although the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. Rubio had a stark warning for Iran, a day after the United States ordered some U.S. personnel to leave the Middle East in response to tensions in the area. "Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel," he said. His statement did not mention whether Washington would support Israel if it faces retaliatory strikes, a standard line in the past. Trump has been increasingly at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over both Iran and his handling of the Israel's war in Gaza, wanting to seal a deal with Tehran and accelerate food aid into Gaza. Trump and Netanyahu spoke on Monday, and Trump told reporters the main topic was Iran. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he suggested an Israeli attack was imminent. "Well, I'd love to avoid conflict. Iran's going to have to negotiate a little tougher, meaning they're going to have to give us some things that they're not willing to give us right now," he said. Retaliation by Iran for Israel's strikes could put U.S. troops and diplomats around the region at risk, given that the United States is Israel's main backer. Security concerns had risen since Trump said on Wednesday that U.S. personnel were being moved out of the region because "it could be a dangerous place" and that Tehran would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Washington and Tehran on Thursday had announced plans for another round of talks on Sunday in Oman between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Whether that meeting will take place is now unclear. A Witkoff spokesperson did not immediately respond to a query. (Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Don Durfee and William Mallard)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US envoy plans to meet Iran's foreign minister on Sunday, US official says
By Steve Holland and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oman on Sunday and discuss Iran's response to a recent American proposal for a nuclear deal, a U.S. official said late on Wednesday. Iran said on Monday it will soon hand a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal to the United States in response to a U.S. offer that Tehran deems "unacceptable," while U.S. President Donald Trump said talks would continue. Trump told a podcast on Monday he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington. Trump has been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran's disputed uranium enrichment activities and has threatened the Islamic Republic with bombing if no agreement is reached. Iran has long said it has no plans to develop nuclear weapons and is only interested in atomic power generation and other peaceful projects. During his first White House term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Tehran's uranium enrichment drive in exchange for relief from international sanctions. Uneasy relations between Iran and the U.S. go back decades. Tehran says Washington has interfered in its affairs, citing events ranging from a 1953 coup against a prime minister to the 2020 killing of its military commander in a U.S. drone strike. Washington cites Iran's backing of militant groups in the Middle East including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen to say that Iran poses a threat to U.S. ally Israel and Washington's interests in the region. The militant groups describe themselves as the "Axis of Resistance" to Israeli and U.S. influence in the Middle East. Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place." The decision by the U.S. to evacuate some personnel comes at a volatile moment in the region. Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked and U.S. intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House National Security Council hit by more firings, sources say
By Gram Slattery and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A large restructuring of the White House National Security Council got under way on Friday as President Donald Trump moved to reduce the size and scope of the once-powerful agency, five sources briefed on the matter said. Staff dealing with a variety of major geopolitical issues were sent termination notices on Friday, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak to the media. The move comes just weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio took over from Mike Waltz as national security adviser. The NSC declined to comment. The restructuring of the NSC is expected to grant more authority to the State Department, the Defense Department and other agencies, the sources said. The aim is to reduce the size of the NSC to just a few dozen people. The NSC is the main body used by presidents to coordinate national security strategy. Its staff often make key decisions regarding America's approach to the world's most volatile conflicts and play a key role in keeping America safe. The firings will reduce the NSC's already pared-down staff. The body had more than 300 staffers under Democratic President Joe Biden, but even before the recent firings under Trump was less than half the size of Biden's NSC. The NSC staffers who are cut from the agency will be moved to other positions in government, two of the sources told Reuters.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US, Iran teams meet for two hours in Rome
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held more than two hours of talks with an Iranian delegation in Rome on Friday about Tehran's nuclear program and agreed to meet again in the near future, a senior U.S. official said. "The talks continue to be constructive – we made further progress, but there is still work to be done. Both sides agreed to meet again in the near future. We are grateful to our Omani partners for their continued facilitation," the official said. (Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Chris Reese)
